Date With Deja Vu
by Lizard Lad
Summary: Just when you tought it was safe to read fanfiction again, I have returned with the latest installment of Teen Titans: the Next Generation!


A/N: Well, I just got back from a month-long vacation to Florida, and I'm ready to begin the second installment of my Teen Titans: the Next Generation! This won't be as long as the first one, and neither will the ones fallowing it. I plan to make a series of one-shots, each one like an individual "episode".

P.S. Thank you for your reviews of the last fic!

P.P.S. Also, I've decided to do away with those place and time thingies at the beginning of each chapter. They're too tedious.

Now for review responses form my last "Next Generation" fic!

**Wildfire Wolf**: Why, thank you! Here's your sequel!

**K9 the First**: Thanks! I thought that Gizmo just sorta fit, and I liked the idea of him being tall. His behavior was inspired by an array of semi-incompetent villains: Plankton, Dr. Drakken, the Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy and Syndrome. Also, congrats on your new fic! I'm a Lilo and Stitch fan myself.

Dedication: All right folks, this one's goin' out to my two bestest friends in the whole world: ElfKingofDemons… And this big peanut guy! (If you don't know where I got that from, I pity you.)

Disclaimer: Lizzy no owny.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" shouted Kerriorda'l T. Grayson as she walked into the house, dropping her backpack and closing the door behind her.

"Glorious!" responded her mother as she swooped Kerri up into one of her signature bone-crushing hugs.

"Where's your brother?" asked her father as she was released from her Mom's clutches.

"Robin went to the comic store." Answered Kerri. "Oh and, by the way…" she began as she walked over to where her dad sat, "Can I have a ride over to my school prom tomorrow night?" Suddenly, a look of shock mingled with slight horror came over Mr. Grayson's face, as if he was remembering something painful.

_Prom… Prom… Prom…_ The word echoed in the back of his mind. "It's going to be really cool." Kerri continued, oblivious to her father's state, "It's gonna be on a yacht in the harbor."

_Yacht… Yacht… Yacht…_ Kerri suddenly became aware of her dad's eerie, fixed stare. "Hellooooo?" she said, waving her hand in front of his eyes, "Are you okay?" Mr. Grayson continued to stare, his right eye twitching slightly.

Kerri shrugged, gave up, and tried asking her mom. She got a similar response. "Argg! Fine! I'll just walk then!" she yelled in frustration. She then stormed off to find her brother.

Robin Grayson wandered the aisles of Comicpalooza Super-Emporium, looking for new issues. "Lets see…" he murmured to himself as he browsed along, "Go! Go! Mobaboy… Nope. Water Man… Nope. Yipper… Nope. Hey! The new installment of Captain Dreadnought is out! Sweet!" Picking up his prize, Robin turned around to see his sister behind him.

"Oh, hey Kerri." said Robin.

"Hey." Kerri responded. She fallowed him to the cash register where he gladly paid the 2.50 for the comic book. "Why do you even read those?" she asked as they left the store, "I mean, isn't it a little silly to read about _fake_ superheroes when you're a _real_ one?"

"That's like asking why a fisherman would read Old Man and the Sea!" answered an indignant Robin. "I must support our fictional brethren! Besides, nobody asked you! I don't even know why you're here!"

"For your information," Kerri said irritably, "I'm only here to tell you that I'll be going to my high school prom tomorrow night, so I won't be able to do crime-watch at the tower."

At this statement, Robin froze up. He turned to face his sister. "Will Kathie Eracni be going to this 'prom'?" he asked.

"Yes…" Kerri responded, rolling her eyes at the irony of her brother having a crush on her arch-nemeses.

"And does she have a date?" continued Robin, a slight waver entering his voice.

"No," Kerri answered, "She says all the boys at school are beneath her. Now, don't you go getting any…" Robin was gone before you could say, "Titans, go!" "…Ideas." Kerri finished, annoyed.

_Ding-dong_ rang the doorbell of the Eracnis' mansion. _Ding-dong ding-dong ding-dong din_… "Who's there!" said an annoyed Kathie, slamming the door open. She looked to see an exited-looking Robin standing on her doorstep. "I know you…" she said, recognition dawning on her face, "You're that loser Grayson's loserer little brother!"

"Actually, my name is Robin, but that's not important." Robin said, undaunted by insults. "I have come to ask you…" he continued, pausing dramatically, "Will you go to the prom with me?"

Kathie was _about_ to say that no, she would rather fight a rabid wolverine on steroids with both arms and one leg tied behind her back blindfolded (Kathie had a way with rejections), when she stopped. The metaphorical wheels and cogs within her mind had begun to spin, slowly churning out a plot. For these wheels and cogs where not like normal metaphorical devices, helpfully interpreting abstract principals such as the human thought process, but instead used their metaphorical powers for _evil_. But for now, we're not going to know what that plot is, because that would be skipping ahead. Let's just assume that it's really diabolical.

"Okay." Kathie said. "I'll go to the prom with you."

"Yes!" Robin shouted, pumping his fist into the air. He began to run around with his hands in the air, screaming ecstatically. "Whoo hoo! Yeah! Woo!"

Before he could finish his second lap around the house, however, Kathie stopped him. "Wait a second." She said, causing him to pause and turn to look. "If you're going to be my date, we have to set some rules." Robin took out a pencil and pad of paper, ready to write anything down.

"First of all," she began, "You are not to pick me up. We will simply meet at the prom. Secondly, You are not to refer to me with any pet names. Thirdly, if I want punch, you get punch or get punched. Thirdly…" She continued to list various rules that, ultimately, made it so Robin was not as much Kathie's date as her servant, tending to her needs while maintaining as much distance from her and her friends as possible. But he didn't care. He was just happy to be somehow associated with his crush, so he was blind to the obvious imperfections of the agreement. Love makes people stupid that way.

"You're going with WHO?" yelled Kerri as she snapped the comb she had been using to get her hair ready for the prom. She was wearing a light green dress, specially picked out for the occasion. If she weren't currently seething with fury, she'd actually be rather pretty.

"I told you, it's Kathie." Replied Robin smugly as he attached his clip-on bowtie. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a white undercoat. He was absentmindedly humming to himself as he got ready. His hair had proven impossible to tame, naturally sticking out in almost all possible directions.

"I cannot believe that you're going out with her!" Kerri continued to rage. "I mean, she's my arch nemesis!"

"Isn't that Gizmo?" queried her brother.

"He's just a petty criminal who tried to kill us." She responded. "Kathie is much more than that… She's _pure evil_!"

"Okay..." Robin said, backing of slightly as Kerri's eye began to twitch.

"So anyway," began Robin, trying to change the subject, "Whom are _you_ going with?"

"Neal Coal." Kerri responded. "He's no Eric McNelson, but he's nice, so I couldn't turn him down when he asked me. Besides, I have to go to that dance, date or not."

"Why?" Robin asked.

"Because," Kerri answered, "The centerpiece of the dance floor is a pure diamond, heart-shaped sculpture. There have been a rash of unusual robberies recently, and as the new defenders of the city, we should try to keep an eye on it."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "That must be Neal!" said Kerri, and rushed downstairs. She opened the door to find a freckled, lanky, redheaded boy who looked unnaturally nervous. When he saw Kerri, however, he seemed to relax.

His look of fear returned, however, when he saw Mr. Grayson rounding a corner in the hallway. Mr. Grayson turned and spotted Neal, and began to walk towards him.

"Hi!" said Mr. Grayson. "You must be Kerri's date to the prom." He extended a hand and shook Neal's. "Now," he continued, turning to Kerri, "You have to be back by 10:30 at the latest."

"I know, Dad." Replied Kerri, rolling her eyes slightly.

"Good." Said her father. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Kerri," he said, turning back to Neal and resting a hand on his shoulder, "Your date and I are going to have a little talk." And with that, Mr. Grayson led Neal of towards the living room, the latter briefly turning around to show a face with terror etched on every square millimeter.

"Well," began Robin, quietly suppressing a chuckle, "That certainly explains why he was so nervous."

"Yeah." Responded Kerri, almost forlornly. "Dad _does_ emit a certain amount of menace."

The prom had been going well so far. Robin was enjoying himself, despite the fact that he had only made prolonged eye contact with Kathie about 7.6 times. There had been no attempt to steal the diamond carving, so Kerri was able to relax and have some fun. The DJ was playing some good songs, and everyone thought the dance was as exciting as it was going to get. If only the happy partygoers knew how wrong they were. At least 67.8 wrong, by my calculations.

Kerri was heading over to the punch bowl when, suddenly, the lights went out, plunging the prom attendees into darkness. Some people screamed, others laughed, thinking that it was planned. Kerri, sensing danger, darted beneath a nearby table to change into her Nightingale outfit.

She emerged, unnoticed in the dark. Turning, she saw a shadowy, spider-like figure advance toward the priceless carving. Quickly, she darted forward and used one of the gadgets in her utility-belt to shine a light at the culprit. Expecting to see someone like Gizmo, or a startling, mutated creature, she was surprised when the beam fell upon…

"Kathie!" Nightingale gasped, seeing the blonde frozen mid-step. "What are you doing here?" she continued. "You're interrupting me interrupting a burglary and…" She trailed off, suddenly remembering that she was in her super-suit, and was exposing herself by talking to Kathie this way. "I mean… Um…" She tried to cover up her mistake, but even as she talked, Kathie approached her, as look of realization mixed with puzzlement dawned on her face.

"…Grayson?" Kathie said, recognizing Kerri despite her mask. "_You're_ a superhero? _You're_ one of those goody two-shoe Teen Titans?"

"You're not supposed to know it, but yes." Nightingale responded begrudgingly. "Now get out of the way, you're interrupting a potential crime scene, and I don't want the culprit to get away."

At this, Kathie Eracni chuckled. "What's so funny?" Nightingale demanded.

"Grayson, Grayson, Grayson," Kathie said condescendingly, almost menacingly, "You really don't get it. The only reason I went with you twerp of a little brother, the only reason I went to this stupid, insignificant prom, is to get close to this." She gestured at the diamond carving. "And you're looking for the person who wants to steal it. Well, if I do say so myself, if you haven't found that person yet… You're oblivious to what's right in front of your face!" With those final words, Kathie bunched up her face in apparent effort. Nightingale watched in horror as four bulges appeared on Kathie's head, extending into long spider legs. As the legs touched the ground, they lifted Kathie's body off the ground as the girl began to laugh evilly.

It was that moment that Robin appeared, walking around the base that supported the diamond carving. He looked at Kathie, and then did a double take. He stared, thinking at her for about fifteen seconds, and then finally said, "Well, I always _did_ like girls with unique talents." Kathie spun around and fired two pink laser-like blasts out of her eyes at Robin, paralyzing him instantly.

She then spun around to face Nightingale, who immediately flew about ten feet into the air. Kathie was quick to spring after her, and soon the two were battling in the cords supporting the lights above the ship. (Bet y'all forgot that it was a yacht by now, didn't you?) Eventually, though see fought as fiercely as she could, Nightingale was knocked to the floor, pinned down by Kathie's spider-legs.

"Any last words, Grayson?" Kathie asked evilly as she hovered the pointed tip of one of her unnatural appendages over Nightingale's neck.

Nightingale looked up. Noticing something behind Kathie, a small smile appeared on her face. "Yes." She said, smirking. "Look out for flying purple hippos." Before Kathie could react to the oddity of her opponent's words, she was knocked over by a large, purple hippopotamus encased in black energy. The form amphibious mammal quickly changed to that of Shifter, and was quickly joined by Shadow and Bionica. Robin was still paralyzed.

Nightingale looked over at Kathie, still sprawled on the floor. Noticing her gaze, Bionica asked, "You want to take it from here?" Nightingale nodded, and Bionica turned to the twins, ordering them to help secure the diamond carving.

Nightingale walked over to Kathie, who looked up at her, her eyes full of spite. Various ideas went through Nightingale's head, most of them involving Kathie going to prison and/or being made a laughing stock of. But finally, she decided what to do.

"Look," she said, looking down at her arch-nemesis, "I hate you, and you hate me. But I think we need to agree on something here. You know my secret identity, and you have the power to expose me. But I have the power to put you in jail for attempted robbery of a priceless jewel. So let's make a deal. You don't tell on me, and you can run free. We'll both go to school tomorrow, and it'll be as it always has been. Agree?" She extended her hand.

Kathie took a moment to think. "Okay." She finally said, shaking Nightingale's hand and retracting her head-legs. She then got up and strode off into the night, most likely to get home and fix her hair.

Kerri took off her suit, her prom dress still underneath it. Suddenly, she heard a groaning sound that caused her to spin around. Robin had finally come to, groggily getting of the floor. He turned to Kerri.

"You know," he said, "Aside from getting paralyzed and stuff, that was the best night of my life. I mean, going out with Kathie Eracni…"

"You still like her!" Kerri raged. "She tried to _kill_ you!"

"Aw, she's just playing hard to get." Robin responded, waving his hand dismissively. "She just can't resist the old Robin-brand charm."

This earned Robin a good, solid, fwack behind the head.

A/N: So? Did you like it? Not like it? Think I should get professional help? The only way for me to know is for you to REVIEW! Also, don't flame, because if you do, you may find a horse head in your bed. It isn't likely that it'll be your horse, but have you ever had horse body parts in your bed? It's disgusting!


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